Melanie Gagliano is a financial advisor with Kestra Advisory, holding a Series 63 designation and eight years of industry experience. She previously worked at Cadaret, Grant & Co., Inc. and Exile East LLC before joining Kestra in 2021. In addition to her advisory role, she is involved in designing 401(k) plans and sells health insurance plans to small businesses. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to a range of institutional and individual clients, offering services including plan design, fiduciary consulting, and advisor-managed accounts. The firm serves large institutional investors and operates diverse programs such as pooled employer plans and private fund placements.

Thomas Volpini is a CFP® with 38 years of industry experience, currently serving at Hightower Advisors since 2017. Prior to this, he worked at Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network LLC from 2009 to 2017. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as a reserve with the Erie County Sheriff Reserve in New York. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and financial institutions. The firm’s approach emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions, utilizing both affiliated and third-party managers along with proprietary research and a range of investment vehicles.

Joseph Martin is a financial advisor with Principal Financial Services in Amherst, NY, holding the CFP® designation and Series 63 license. He has 28 years of industry experience, including over two decades at Principal Securities Inc. and Principal Life Insurance Company. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a broad client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, charitable organizations, corporations, and active-duty U.S. military personnel stationed abroad. The firm offers direct advisory programs, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party money manager solutions under various advisory and promoter arrangements.

Charles Lytle is a financial advisor with United Planners Financial Services of America, holding a Series 63 license and 16 years of industry experience. He has operated his own advisory businesses since 2009 and currently serves as an insurance agent specializing in non-variable insurance. Additionally, he provides tax preparation and accounting services through a separate firm. United Planners Financial Services serves a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, charitable organizations, and institutional clients. The firm offers financial planning, portfolio management, retirement plan services, and brokerage solutions through an open-architecture platform with multiple custodians and third-party money managers.

Bennett Gagliano is a financial advisor with Kestra Advisory who holds extensive industry experience spanning 45 years. Prior to joining Kestra in 2021, he spent two decades at Cadaret, Grant & Co., Inc. and G & C Pension Services LLC. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as president of Bennett A Gagliano Inc., focusing on the design and sale of benefit plans, and manages multiple third-party administration firms related to retirement plan services. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to a broad range of institutional and individual clients. The firm offers services including plan design, fiduciary consulting, investment advice, and employee education, serving large institutional investors with assets under management of approximately $79.8 billion.

Michael Williams Jr. is a financial advisor at Valic Financial Advisors with 11 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked previously at Pruco Securities LLC. In addition to his advisory role, he is engaged in offering non-securities insurance products. Valic Financial Advisors serves primarily U.S. individuals, including high net worth clients and employer-sponsored retirement participants, providing portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting services. The firm manages about $29.2 billion across its network of over 1,200 advisors, utilizing discretionary unified managed accounts and model-based solutions.

Marc Rosenthal is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) in Williamsville, NY, holding Series 66 and Series 63 designations and 25 years of industry experience. He has been with Eagle Strategies since 2017 and concurrently associated with ROI Financial Group, Nylife Securities Inc., and New York Life Insurance Company since 2001. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as an officer for the Kaleida Health Foundation and as a board member of the Amherst Youth Hockey Association. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse client base, including individuals and institutions, providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services through a wide network of affiliated representatives. The firm emphasizes tailored recommendations and focuses primarily on non-discretionary assets, with a notable presence in retirement plan consulting and insurance-related advisory services.

Michael Winter is a financial advisor at HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. with 27 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has worked at several firms including Ameriprise, Valic Financial Advisors, Merrill, and HSBC Bank USA, N.A. HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. offers managed account programs to a broad client base including individuals, retirement accounts, charitable organizations, and corporations. The firm’s investment approach combines strategic and tactical asset allocation with global fund due diligence and offers both discretionary and client-directed portfolio options.

Emily Ford is a CFP® with seven years of industry experience, currently an advisor at Hightower Advisors. Her prior roles include positions at Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company, ESAS, LLC, and Russell Schwartzbeck. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients, utilizing a multi-manager approach that includes affiliated and third-party managers, discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, and access to alternative investments and custom indexing strategies.

Matthew Turco is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) based in Williamsville, NY, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and with 26 years of industry experience. He has worked with firms including New York Life Insurance Co and Nylife Securities LLC since 2007, and currently operates under ROI Financial Group, LLC. Outside of his advisory work, he owns a business selling vintage and antique items on eBay. Eagle Strategies serves individual and institutional clients by providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services through a large network of affiliated advisors. The firm offers a range of program types tailored to client objectives and handles primarily non-discretionary assets, working extensively with retirement investors and institutional plan sponsors.

Daniel Schlein is a financial advisor at Guardian Life with seven years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Park Avenue Securities and Guardian Life Insurance Company since 2017. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in additional insurance activities unrelated to Guardian Life. Park Avenue Securities LLC, where he practices, is a subsidiary of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America that provides brokerage and investment advisory services to individuals, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm offers a combination of advisor-led discretionary management and model-based strategies, alongside various financial planning and consulting services tailored to client needs.

Seth Hamilton is a financial advisor at Equity Services, Inc. with eight years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Cetera Investment Advisers, National Asset Management, and National Life Group. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in tax preparation through HD Tax Solutions and serves as an agent for fixed insurance products with The Vermont Agency and NPA Financial. Equity Services, Inc., operating as ESI Financial Advisors, provides financial planning, consulting, and asset management to individuals, corporations, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and employer retirement plans. The firm combines long-term investment strategies with options for shorter-term trading and specialized instruments, offering multiple advisory platforms and working with various third-party asset managers.

Duane Pusch is a financial advisor with Lincoln Investment in Amherst, NY, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 27 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Legend Advisory Corporation and Legend Equities Corporation. Outside of his advisory role, he provides personal income tax preparation services during tax season. Lincoln Investment is a large enterprise firm serving a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth investors, trusts, charities, and retirement plans, with a focus on advisor-led consulting and model portfolio management.

Jonathan Donatelli is a CFP® professional with 24 years of industry experience, currently with Principal Financial Services. He has held roles at Principal Securities Inc., Wealth Management Services LLC, Principal Life Insurance Company, and Uvest Financial Services Group. Outside of his advisory work, he is involved in insurance activities related to fixed life, disability income, and long-term care insurance. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and active-duty U.S. military personnel abroad. The firm offers financial planning, retirement consulting, and access to third‑party money manager asset allocation and separately managed account solutions.

Raelynn Harlach is a financial advisor at Valic Financial Advisors with 19 years of industry experience. She holds the ChFC® designation, as well as Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. Her career includes roles at Agia and Prudential-affiliated firms. She is also an agent for non-securities insurance products through Agia. Valic Financial Advisors serves primarily U.S. individuals, including high net worth clients and employer-sponsored retirement participants, offering portfolio management, financial planning, and unified managed account solutions through a large network of advisors. The firm manages approximately $29.2 billion and emphasizes centralized technology and model-based investment approaches.

Lewis Wexler is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with 20 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at several firms including LPL Financial, HSBC Securities, Merrill, and Banc of America Investment Services before joining TIAA-CREF in 2015. Outside of his advisory role, he owns a woodworking business and is a notary public. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, and small retirement plans, often serving clients associated with TIAA-administered employer retirement plans. The firm’s advisory model separates one-time financial planning from ongoing portfolio management, offering both model-based and customized investment solutions.

Tyler Schmitt is a financial advisor at Hightower Advisors with 11 years of industry experience. He holds Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and has worked at Hightower since 2023. His prior roles include positions at Legg Mason Investor Services and Franklin Templeton Financial Services and Distributors. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients. The firm’s approach emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions, utilizing both affiliated and third-party managers across various investment vehicles, including mutual funds, ETFs, alternative investments, and custom indexing.

Michael Hadley is a financial advisor with Principal Financial Services, holding a Series 66 designation and six years of industry experience. His background includes roles at Citigroup, Raymond James Financial Services, and Ritter Insurance Marketing. Outside of finance, he works part-time as a bookkeeper for a family-run carpentry business. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a wide range of clients, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm offers financial planning, retirement consulting, and access to third-party money manager solutions, with investment implementation generally managed on a discretionary basis by those managers.

Scott Kleiner is a financial advisor with HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. in Buffalo, NY, holding Series 66 and Series 63 licenses and bringing 11 years of industry experience. He has worked within HSBC’s affiliated entities since 2015, including roles at HSBC Bank USA, N.A. alongside his registered representative duties at HSBC Securities. HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. offers managed account programs to individuals, retirement accounts, charitable organizations, and corporations, featuring both client-directed and discretionary portfolio options. The firm’s investment approach incorporates strategic and tactical asset allocation, combined with fund due diligence and ongoing monitoring, supported by affiliated global asset management teams.

Erik Dececco is a financial advisor with Key Investment Services LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and 13 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at HSBC Bank USA, N.A. and HSBC SECURITIES (USA) Inc., where he worked for six years. He has been with Key Investment Services since 2021. Key Investment Services LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser and wrap-fee program sponsor serving individuals, trusts, estates, small businesses, and institutional plan clients. The firm offers portfolio management and model-based advisory products through a multi-provider platform, integrating resources from KeyCorp affiliates and focusing on non-discretionary investment models with optional tax and values overlays.